New year begins with a tragic loss

Called Catasauqua boys basketball coach Eric Snyder Sunday night expecting him to be in a great mood considering his team had posted two big wins over the previous three nights, including a stunning win over league favorite Northern Lehigh last Thursday

But Snyder was downcast.

He told me of the terrible news that Jennifer Jacksits, the 18-year-old former Northampton High basketball standout and the daughter of Konkrete Kids coach Jeff Jacksits, died early Sunday morning. She was a victim of a car accident in Moore Township. Jennifer Jacksits was a freshman at Saint Joseph's University.

What a sad way to begin the new year. The very first weekend of 2008 and we've already lost a precious young life.

Jeff Jacksits coaches at Northampton, but teaches in Catasauqua where he was a 1982 graduate and he was also an assistant coach with the Rough Riders girls program for many years. He also was the boys coach at Pen Argyl for two seasons.

So, several communities -- Northampton and Catty in particular -- will be greatly affected by this tragic loss, and goodness knows how the K-Kid girls basketball program will proceed from here. I can't imagine Jacksits being able to coach his team anytime soon.

"It's really sad," Snyder said.

A tragedy like this puts things into perspective. High school basketball games, no matter how big they seem, drastically pale in comparsion to a huge loss like this. No one, absolutely no one, should ever have to endure the tragedy the Jacksits family is now going through and our hearts go out to them.

Our deepest sympathies to the Jacksits family and the entire Northampton basketball program.